


Beginning of a Late Spring

by silveronthetree



Category: The Darwath Series - Barbara Hambly
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 10:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13052139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveronthetree/pseuds/silveronthetree
Summary: A coda to The Armies of Daylight.Gil and Ingold in the days immediately after.





	Beginning of a Late Spring

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sheila_Snow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheila_Snow/gifts).



They stopped early that first night of the journey back to the Keep from Gae. Progress had been slow. The promise of the early spring morning had faded as the day progressed, leaving a chilly dampness that saturated every layer of clothing. Gil had been trudging along, the slush melting with every step as she kept pace with an exhausted Ingold. In the late afternoon light, she could see his face set with determination as he stumbled on the uneven track. His knuckles pale as they grasped his staff, seemingly the only thing keeping him upright. It had been painfully obvious he hadn't recovered enough for a full day's trek, but he'd refused any suggestion of a rest. In the end Rudy, who had been walking ahead of them all day, buoyed by his eagerness to return to Alde, was the one who cracked first and suggested stopping. 

Ingold sunk to the ground as soon as they'd found a suitable campsite, closing his eyes. As Rudy set the wards and Gil built a fire, they heard soft snores coming from Ingold's slumped figure. He was still gripping his staff. They exchanged speaking glances. 

"We should maybe make a late start tomorrow," Rudy whispered as he passed Gil to get some food from his pack. "A few hours delay won't hurt, and Ingold needs all the rest he can get. He's dangerously exhausted."

Gil nodded. They had more than a week's journey in front of them. Ingold was a tough old man but he'd been trembling with exhaustion today and that wouldn't go away with just a few hours of sleep.

When they'd prepared some hot food, Gil bent over and woke Ingold with a hand on his shoulder. He took a few moments to surface, a sign of his exhaustion, but his smile when he at last opened his eyes to see her made her heart sing. 

As they ate, Ingold said little, but at least ate enough of his food to satisfy Gil. Rudy asked for Ingold's advice about the wards around their camp. 

"You're still warding against the Dark?" Ingold asked, with a raised eyebrow, a tinge of sarcastic amusement in his voice. "Weren't you paying attention this morning?"

Gil could see Rudy's cheeks darken in the fading light. "I-, I don't know why I did that. Autopilot I guess?" 

"I suppose you've never set wards without them." As Rudy stood up to alter the wards, Ingold waved him down. "No, no. Sit down, it won't do any harm for the night."

"Are they all definitely gone?" Gil voiced a question, she'd been wondering all day, that Ingold hadn't addressed. "No stragglers left behind?" She trusted Ingold but she had to know once and for all.

"All gone. That was what they wanted."

"It'll be tough convincing anyone of that," Rudy pointed out. "I think we were the only ones out that night who saw them all head to Gae." 

"Their leaving might've been visible from the Keep," Gil said."If anyone was out at dawn."

"Yes," Ingold agreed. "And people believe that they were defeated once. It won't take many months without seeing them for people to realise. And Rudy," Ingold said, "the wizards will know. You should be able to tell how different it feels."

Rudy closed his eyes and concentrated for a while. It was the look that he got when he was reaching out beyond himself. He nodded. "Yeah."

The Dark was truly gone. That ever present dread that had been haunting Gil since she'd arrived in this world could fade away. On Ingold and Rudy's faces an ever present tension she hadn't been fully aware of, had disappeared. 

That night had been one of the worst of her life and one of the best, a rollercoaster of emotions. From dread of what she would have to do, to hope at Ingold's survival, mind intact, to horror that her world had been destroyed, and back to joy at Ingold's declaration. Now Gil couldn't remember ever feeling this happy.

Gil felt her eyelids drooping as she sat by the fire, knee pressed to Ingold's, reassuring her that he was really there, both alive and fully himself. She could see Rudy across the fire yawning widely, too tired to get out his harp. 

"You should sleep, dearest one," Ingold said to her. "You too, Rudy. I've had some rest, I'll take the first watch." It was strange not to worry about the Dark, but there were still many other dangers out there, the White Raiders, the ghouls that had been driven from Gae or more wolves. 

Gil protested. Even with his brief nap, he must have been far more tired than her. But despite the grey cast to his skin and his drawn face, his eyes were brighter and more alert that she'd seen for a long while. He looked content. 

"I'm well able to take the first watch." He sat by the fire and patted the damp ground next to him. "Come here and rest."

She wanted to argue but she was too tired.

Rudy awkwardly made his bed away from them on the other side of the fire. Gil flushed as she realised why. What did he think they'd be doing, exhausted as they were? 

She wrapped her cloak around herself and lay with her head almost in Ingold's lap. He put his hand on her head and stroked, combing her tangled hair. 

"Sleep, Gil," he whispered. And Gil relaxed into his touch, letting his beautiful low voice soothe her to sleep.

The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her shoulder. She woke instantly, senses honed by her time in the guard. She opened her eyes to Ingold's face where he was leaning over her. The expression in his eyes - Gil could only translate it as open adoration, was so unfamiliar it convinced her it must be a dream. And she wrestled her arm out of the blankets to take advantage of the chance to stroke his cheek. But the feel of his coarse beard hair was enough to give her the jolt and the memory of the events of the day returned to her and she knew this was real. 

She lifted her head and kissed him. She felt his surprise as his lips remained still above hers, but only for an instant before he returned the kiss fiercely. 

"There you are," he said, as they disengaged from the awkward position. "Gil, my dear one, I'm afraid it's time for your watch." 

"Oh," Gil said. She was overcome by the oddest urge to pout, instead she smiled ruefully at him. "I was enjoying that." She sat up and stretched, listening to the quiet around them. The fire had burned down enough to indicate a few hours of sleep. 

His eyes lit up, crinkles of amusement around the edges blending with the scars. "Hmm." His eyes were on her as she stretched, working the kinks out of her spine left by the hard ground. She let the cloak fall away from her shoulders. 

He leant forward and kissed her again and Gil let herself relax into his embrace for a few long moments until a sound beyond the fire pulled their attention outwards again. 

"It's just a fox," Ingold said, as Gil reached for her sword. "But you should take your watch. Even without the threat of the Dark, this is no place for distractions." Before Gil feel hurt by the dismissal. He added, "Even such delightful ones."

*

Their return to the Keep was unheralded, but not unnoticed. Alde was waiting at the gate alone, wrapped up warmly in a dark shawl, the ski vest Rudy made for her and thick black peasant skirts. Her face pale and still as she watched them arrive. As they drew closer, Gil saw Alde's mouth drop open a little, as she looked from side to side from Rudy, to Ingold and Gil and back again. 

Rudy ran to Alde and she made an aborted attempt to throw her arms around him. The two of them stood, a foot apart, staring intently at each other as they spoke. 

Alde's appearance at the gates meant there must've been people watching their arrival, although Gil hadn't seen anyone in their morning journey up the road to the Keep. They'd hoped to arrive the evening before but an unexpected tussle with some wolves had delayed them. They'd made camp in the Vale when they'd realised they wouldn't make it before the gates were shut for the night. 

Ingold tried to let go of Gil's hand as they approached the steps but she held on. She would never to hide their relationship, whatever the reaction to it would be, age difference, and wizardry bedamned.

They only made it a few steps inside before they were surrounded. To Gil's eyes it looked as if the entirety of the Guard had descended on them, although she knew someone must be left on duty.

"Ingold, you're alive!" Janus bellowed in delight, slapping his back and Gil grabbed hold of Ingold as he staggered. "How the hell did you make it out?" 

Ingold smiled, and shrugged, looking around at the throng greeting them. He seemed to be marking the faces that were present. His smile growing wider at every face he recognised. 

The Icefalcon wasn't the only one of the Guards watching Ingold closely, but he was the most obvious. Memories of Snelgrin were still fresh and Ingold had been with the Dark for a long time. Ingold looked the Icefalcon firmly in the eye, and said, "Now, that is a tale for later, but I can assure you I am fully myself."

The Icefalcon looked as inscrutable as ever, but reassured, he took his eyes off Ingold, and greeted Gil, with a brief one-armed embrace. He looked down at the hand she still had entwined with Ingold's "It looks like you had good hunting, Gil-Shalos." 

She smiled at him and nodded, opening her mouth to reply further but he was swept away in the crowd by the arrival of Gnift, Melantrys and Sela.

When the greetings died down, Gil turned to Ingold. "What I wouldn't give for a bath," she said. She could almost smell herself and every inch was splattered with mud. 

Ingold sighed, and scratched at his healing face. They'd removed much of the blood but the journey had taken its toll in dirt. "At least one of us should find one today," he said. "Unfortunately, we should make a report before the Council immediately and I must talk to Minalde about Eldor." A flicker of grief crossed his face. "But there is no need for you to be kept from a well deserved bath."

Gil didn't want to be parted from him, but she didn't want to spend hours she didn't have to listening to the remains of the Council squabbling. 

"May I see you for supper, my dear?" Ingold asked.

"Of course," Gil said. "However late you are."

*

It was far later than she had expected when Ingold knocked on the screen that acted as the door to the little cubby she shared in the Guards' area. She had been distracting herself from her hunger by polishing her sword. It had been a long day and after she'd been dismissed from the Council she'd been practicing with the Guards.

He had a bag slung over one shoulder, he held a covered tray, and he was wearing an unfamiliar clean robe. She could smell a stew and warm bread and even better, she hadn't prepared it herself over a campfire.

"Hello." Gil smiled at him, putting aside her sword. "How was the rest of the meeting?"

"As expected, I'm afraid. They will need the evidence of their own eyes to believe that the threat of the Dark is gone but at least a few are hopeful that between us, Thoth, Rudy and I may know what we are talking about."

Gil sighed. "Time will tell. I suppose.They'll discover the truth of it soon enough."

Ingold made no move to put down his burdens. "My old cubby seems to be empty but you mentioned you'd rescued some items?"

Gil jumped up and rummaged under her bunk, her freshly washed and untangled damp hair falling into her eyes. She extracted his stuff. There wasn't much, but Ingold looked pleased. "I think someone was clearing your old cubby," she said. "Shall we see?"

She hefted her bundle and they walked with shoulders brushing to Ingold's tiny cubby. It was as clear as Gil expected, the piles of spare equipment that had been there earlier had moved who knew where. 

They put down their burdens and Ingold opened the bag he carried and spread out the thick rug it contained on the small floor. He started to arrange the food and the wine on it. 

Gil's eyes widened as each item appeared. "Where did you get this? It doesn't smell like the Guards' food." 

"There are some excellent cooks in this Keep. And I thought we deserved something a little better than usual." He took her hand and drew her down to sit cross-legged on the floor next to him.

Gil blinked. The Ingold she knew would eat anything put in front of him. Palatable or not. She took another look at him and noticed his trimmed hair and beard, and his intent expression.

"Ingold," she asked with a grin. "Is this a dinner date?"

Behind the newly trimmed beard, he flushed "Yes, I believe it is."

"Oh." Gil was rather delighted by this expression of Ingold's gentlemanliness. She wondered when he and Rudy had discussed dating, because she'd certainly never mentioned it. Was that the sort of thing they'd discussed on the route to Quo? It didn't seem terribly likely. "Well rest assured," she said, "I will put out." 

Ingold's cheeks grew darker at her words, so he clearly had had that discussion. "My love, you don't have to. Your company is all I wish for."

She leaned forward and kissed him quickly. "I've been looking forward to it."

He smiled. 

They relaxed together for hours, chatting and drinking the rich red wine that must have come from Alwir's private cellar. The glowstones throw shadows across the small space turning Ingold's silky white hair silver. Ingold told her more of his meeting with the Council. "We're going to be busy here for a long time. There is so much knowledge we've lost, and we must prepare for the decreasing temperatures." The sounds of the Guards outside faded into the night. Gil and Ingold were tangled together comfortably on the rug, with shoes and outer robes discarded, deep in discussion. The empty dishes had been swept aside and Gil felt more content than she could ever remember.

"This is a lovely date, Ingold," Gil said. 

He pulled her closer and kissed her. She could taste the wine they had been drinking, feel the scratchiness of his beard against her face, and she was surrounded by the comforting smell of him. 

"Stay with me?" he asked. 

Instead of answering him she pulled blankets off the narrow bed and rearranged them on the floor. She slipped under the blankets and pulled him down to her, revelling in the feel of his heart beating against her breast. She was finally home. 

End


End file.
